Measles outbreak: man who died in Swansea was infected, lab tests reveal

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

A 25-year-old man has become the first person to die with measles in the Swansea outbreak as health authorities in Wales try to bring the highly infectious disease under control.

Laboratory tests by Public Health Wales (PHW) confirmed the diagnosis within hours of the man's body being found in a flat in Swansea on Friday. He has been named locally as Gareth Williams.

Investigations by the coroner as to whether the measles caused the death are continuing. If it were the reason, it would be the first measles fatality in the UK for five years.

Marion Lyons, PHW's director of health protection, said: "Public Health Wales laboratory tests have confirmed a diagnosis of measles in a 25-year-old male from Swansea who died on Thursday 18 April.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/apr/19/measles-outbreak-swansea-death

[sharp_stick]

1. Has Wales

been experiencing a rash of vaccine phobia and avoidance recently?

[dipsydoodle]

5. Not recently.

Goes back to the palaver over the MMR vac and the fact the measles only one wasn't allowed. Maybe if the single had been allowed they wouldn't this mess now.

[alarimer]

17. I think so.

That quack Timothy Wakefield (whose work was retracted and whose medical license was taken away) is ultimately responsible for vaccine refusal over there. I am hazy on the exact timing, but this outbreak does come down to a break down in the herd immunity, likely due to recent vaccine refusal.

You need MMR boosters throughout your life. I had one when I'd misplaced my vaccine record a few years ago, just in case. Immunity does wane sometimes.

[loudsue]

2. I had measles when I was 42 years old. Ugh!

I almost died, but made it through. It was really awful.

[Shrike47]

3. I had measles as a child, also mumps and whooping cough.

I didn't know people died of them.

[dipsydoodle]

4. we had a triple here in the UK for children late 1940's on the NHS.

diptheria, whooping cough and something else which escapes me - might have been smallpox. That was prior to our polio and TB Vacs in the '50s.

Yes - I had measles, mumps and chicken pox in quick succession as a child too.

[JNelson6563]

6. Aren't many vaccinated for this?

That would help stop the spread I should think.

Julie

[dipsydoodle]

8. Function of age

Dropped off after the MMR business.

There are queues now.

[barbaraj]

9. at age 25 he would have likely had two

shots, one at a year, one at pre-school, very few keep levels of immunity to any vaccine beyond five to ten years..No we didn't know this, now we do, we are going to have to accept that the dangers in the group aren't the few unvaccinated children as they represent a small percentage..but the adults, all of us who have no immunity at all due to short term effectiveness..

[JNelson6563]

11. Thanks barbaraj & dipsydoodle! Good points!

That's what I like about DU, lots of answers to be had!

Julie

[drmeow]

19. According to the CDC

Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccination

Adults born before 1957 generally are considered immune to measles and mumps. All adults born in 1957 or later should have documentation of 1 or more doses of MMR vaccine unless they have a medical contraindication to the vaccine, or laboratory evidence of immunity to each of the three diseases. Documentation of provider-diagnosed disease is not considered acceptable evidence of immunity for measles, mumps, or rubella.

Measles component:

A routine second dose of MMR vaccine, administered a minimum of 28 days after the first dose, is recommended for adults who
are students in postsecondary educational institutions;
work in a health-care facility; or
plan to travel internationally.
Persons who received inactivated (killed) measles vaccine or measles vaccine of unknown type during 1963–1967 should be revaccinated with 2 doses of MMR vaccine.

I think I got a single MMR shot (although maybe I got two) before going to grad school cause I couldn't show proof that I'd been immunized and I was tested about 10 years later and had demonstrated immunity.

I've never seen anything that says that immunity goes away for ALL of the things we're vaccinated against - Some definitely (i.e., tetanus, diphtheria, and the flu ... - and a one time adult polio booster is recommended) but many of the others require a single or single series of shots.

[mainer]

20. 2 million children NOT vaccinated sufficiently in UK

which is why this is happening. Article mentions this is related to Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent work.

[idwiyo]

7. Thank you, arseholes who do not vaccinate their children. Why it's not considered a child abuse is

absolutely beyond me.

[HockeyMom]

10. as an old woman, this is interesting

I was never vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella, or chicken pox. I had all of them as a child before there were vacs. When I went back to college in my 50s and was asked for all my vacs, I could not supply them with these. Born before such and such a date? No vacs required because you probably HAD all these diseases.

I have worked in public schools where there were outbreaks of measles. Staff were notified and asked to get boosters. Me? As soon as the doctors heard I actually had the disease, end of story. No vacs or boosters. Apparently, actually HAVING these diseases conferres MORE immuniity than any vac or booster. If not, why did they say I didn't need any booster?

[JNelson6563]

12. Yes, I know this to be true.

Back in medieval times, those who milked cows often contracted cow pox, as it were. They were then immune to "the pox" when it hit a population.

Julie

[mainer]

21. These illnesses are far milder in children

but they can kill adults.

By vaccinating children, we are protecting the whole population.

[kurtzapril4]

13. I had all of them, too!

Measles, mumps, and chicken pox. I do remember being severely ill with measels, when I was 4. I had a 106 temp, and my mom put me in a bathtub full of cold water, with ice-cubes, to break the fever. Then my doctor made a house-call, and gave me a shot of some sort, and I survived. But I was sick for a really, really long time after that.

[HockeyMom]

14. When I had Rubella at 6

with a 105 temp and delirious, Nana also put me in a bath of cold water and ice. Exactly the same thing. I missed months of school after that, but did survive. I would guess with all of this, the immunity would be far greater than any vac.

[dipsydoodle]

15. Despite that cause of death has to be confirmed.

.

[alarimer]

16. Anti-vaxxers are responsible for this death.

Selfish assholes.

[barbaraj]

22. clearly there should be no anger

science is what it is..not perfect. All children are to get mmr's now when starting high-school, and all adults born after 1957 are to receive them as well. We didn't have the experience until the generation of vaccinated children grew up to realize the immunity waned. Do not blame it on the few unvaccinated, there have been outbreaks in schools with 100% compliance to vaccines, look to the adults, there you will find the origin of every whooping cough, measles, chickenpox outbreak. Instead of placing blame, get your shot.

[madrchsod]

18. you know one would think these diseases would be extinct by now...

i know there is no guarantee but the anti vaccine folks are making these diseases more deadly.

[barbaraj]

23. I did some checking, just to see if this was possibly the case

it isn't. Complete vaccine compliance seemed to shift the ages of illness with many diseases. Some due to the waning effectiveness, some due to denying the immune boosts we get from exposure to natural infection. While some disease may well become extinct, history seems to suggest most are being replaced by more dangerous pathogens than the ones vaccines were made to curtail, an example is the pneumonias of childhood, while not benign, were replaced by far more virulent and dangerous strains, chickenpox has become a complete failure, causing chicken pox among once vaccinated adults, and shingles in vaccinated children. Each needs to be weighed and the values assessed. We have allowed the profit margins to dictate this portion of our health care. Does this make me anti vaccine? I just had a dt shot